A Palestinian historian and a senior PLO official have denied that the Jewish nation has any historical connection to the Land of Israel, thus continuing the Palestinian Authority's ongoing historical revision.

In an interview on official PA television, historian Nabil Alqam first denied thousands of years of documented Jewish history in Israel, then replaced it with "4,000 to 5,000 years" of fictitious Palestinian history.

Israel has publicized many archeological finds in recent years, including coins with Hebrew writing and even stamps [bullas] with names of biblical figures. It is possible that Alqam was responding to these numerous finds when he went on to accuse Israel of creating "artificial Israeli symbols."

Nabil Alqam, PA historian:

"Why does the occupation [Israel] concern itself with stealing, [cultural] theft, distorting and erasing the Palestinian heritage? Because it [Israel] seeks a history [in the land] while [Palestinian] heritage is a history that proves our connection to the land... [The Palestinian heritage] has historical depth of 4,000 to 5,000 years. And here [Israel] attempts to steal these symbols to create fake Israeli symbols and identity."

[PA TV (Fatah), Oct. 22, 2009]

Saleh Rafat, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said earlier this month that Israel has even stolen "cuisine, clothing [and] architecture" that were Palestinian in origin and claimed they are part of Jewish history. He denies that the Jewish Temple ever existed, arguing that the tunnels near the Western Wall of the Temple ruins are merely the remains of old aqueducts:

Saleh Rafat, PLO official:

"We revive this [Palestinian] heritage and cling to it in order to counter all of the attempts by Israel, by the Israeli occupation, to steal the national heritage and to falsify it with the claim that it is their heritage - from cuisine to clothing, and architecture. Every part of our heritage in our land, they claim is their heritage - even the tunnels they are trying to dig beneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque and under Jerusalem. Many of these tunnels are ancient tunnels that carried water to Jerusalem, and they [Israelis] claim that they are seeking an alleged Temple."

[Al-Filistiniya (Fatah) TV, Oct. 15, 2009]

Background

For more than a decade, the PA has been conducting a longstanding, systematic campaign to deny Israel's right to exist, first by claiming there was no Jewish history in the Land of Israel and then by fabricating a "Palestinian" history for Jewish sites, artifacts and archeological finds.

Since 1998, PA academics and religious leaders have claimed that Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims all populated the land of Israel in biblical times and even earlier. This year, the Supreme Islamic Council of the Palestinian Authority declared that Arabs have been living in the land of "Palestine" since 7500 BCE [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 17, 2009].

Placing Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims in Israel in biblical times is historically impossible:

1. The name "Palestine" as a replacement for the Land of Judea/Israel was coined by Rome only in 136 C.E., and for nearly 2,000 years Jews were the only Palestinians the world recognized.
2. Islam was established only in 610 C.E.
3. Arabs first arrived in Israel with the Muslim invasion in 637 C.E.